Morning Glory

Put new twists on your favorite power-breakfast foods

If there was ever a group of individuals who should shun a low-carb diet, it is trail runners. ...

Photo by Matthew Kadey, MS, RD

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" goes the old saw. Not to belittle lunch or dinner, but a nutritious morning meal can bestow huge benefits on your running performance and health. Breakfast helps refill energy stores—Particularly glycogen—which helps your body recover and prepare for daily training.

Australian researchers recently determined that adults who skipped breakfast had a higher risk of heart disease than their peers who ate a morning meal, perhaps partly due to a lower intake of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. "A hearty breakfast can also keep your waistline trim by preventing overeating later in the day and revving up your metabolism, which has slowed to a crawl after an overnight fast," says sports dietitian Molly Kimball, nutrition director at the Ochsner Elmwood Fitness Center in New Orleans.

But there is a big difference between shoveling an elephantine muffin into your mouth and fuelling your body with an ideal breakfast. "Think 100-percent-whole-grain carbohydrates rich in fiber as well as foods that provide protein and healthy fats," says Kimball.

Despite breakfast's benefits, perhaps you have become bored with bland oatmeal or lackluster fried eggs. We've gussied up some favorite breakfast meals to make them a whole lot healthier -- and tastier!

Walnuts are abundant in omega-3 fatty acids which may help quell inflammation. Phytonutrients in tart cherries have been shown to speed exercise recovery by reducing oxidative muscle damage. A star among its sweetener brethren, maple syrup, not the corn syrup faux stuff, contains unique disease-thwarting antioxidant phenols such as the quebecol (whimsically named after the province of Quebec—the largest syrup producer).

Steel-cut oatmeal is made from oat grains (a.k.a. groats) that have only been chopped up. The upshot is that steel-cuts oats take longer to digest than the instant kind, supplying your body with energy all morning long.

If you are crunched for time on weekday mornings, make this big batch of creamy steel-cut oats on Sunday afternoon and reheat portions on the stovetop with a little milk all week long. Serves four.

Almond butter provides more of the bone-strengthening minerals calcium, magnesium and phosphorus than peanut butter, plus a healthy dose of heart-friendly monounsaturated fat. More than a morning perk-me-up, java is surprisingly rich in antioxidants as is "natural" or "raw" cocoa powder.

Greek yogurt supplies twice as much muscle-friendly protein as traditional versions. Wheat germ is the by-product of converting whole wheat into refined wheat and is highly concentrated in a number of nutrients including vitamin E, B vitamins, zinc, magnesium, selenium and energy-boosting iron.

This spruced up smoothie is perfect for mornings when you need to bolt out the door. Serves one.